Rabbi Yaakov Menken did not mince words Tuesday morning on Newsmax's "Wake Up America," arguing that Tucker Carlson has earned the title "Antisemite of the Year" through repeated behavior that Menken said fuels dangerous myths about Jews.
Jewish civil rights group StopAntisemitism named Carlson its 2025 "Antisemite of the Year," saying the designation is a "distinct dishonor" that "is reserved for the most bigoted and hateful individual."
Menken, the executive vice president of the Coalition for Jewish Values, said the record is clear and growing, pointing to Carlson's platforming of extremists and his own rhetoric.
"I think the evidence for this is overwhelming," he said, citing "the amount of times that Tucker Carlson has brought an avowed antisemite on the show to spout lies ... and then he himself spreading traditional antisemitic tropes."
Menken argued that such tropes are not abstract ideas but narratives with a long and bloody history, particularly accusations that blame Jews collectively for events in Christian history.
"The rivers of blood have been shed on the idea that Jews of today are responsible for the Jewish Council that said that Jesus deserved to be put to death," he said, noting that "it was the Romans that did it."
Menken contrasted that historical fact with what he described as the enduring double standard applied to Jews.
"Nobody thinks today that Italians should be slaughtered because of that, because they were the ones who actually put him to death," he said. "But no, we're going to go after the Jews."
Menken said those narratives persist because people "find excuses to believe the Jews are stealing, that the Jews are conspiring against everybody else," despite evidence to the contrary.
The rabbi also criticized Heritage Foundation President Kevin Roberts for failing to adequately disavow Carlson after the media personality's interview with white nationalist Nick Fuentes.
"We were one of the first organizations to leave the National Task Force to Combat Antisemitism, which began as a project of the Heritage Foundation," Menken said.
"The task force itself, a week later, had to withdraw because they realized if they didn't, they would lose all credibility," he said.
Carlson has come under sharp criticism for his attacks on Jews and Israel, comments many view as antisemitic.
Carlson has claimed Jews control America's banking system, Congress, the Pentagon, and even President Trump.
He recently implied Israel played a role in Charlie Kirk's death because of his opposition to attacking Iran's nuclear program.
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Nicole Weatherholtz ✉
Nicole Weatherholtz, a Newsmax general assignment reporter covers news, politics, and culture. She is a National Newspaper Association award-winning journalist.
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